By Wole Mosadomi

Minna  —  Former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has said as long as President Umaru Yar’Adua is still alive, he is the President and so there is no vacuum for anybody to fill for now.

Answering questions from journalists in Minna, Niger State yesterday, the former governor said Nigerians should not allow the present illness of the President to create unnecessary tension in the country which could eventually lead to chaos.

“People say President Yar’Adua is dead and I can tell you that I spoke with him on the 31st of December when I was in Ibadan and people said he died on 10th of December, 2009 and I am shocked and this is to show you how some people are just causing unnecessary tension in the country,” Kalu said.

He, however, pointed out that since the President was not around, his vice, Goodluck Jonathan, could always carry out his functions which he said he had been doing.
“Since Yar’Adua is still alive, there is no vacuum; the President is not just well and any person can be sick,” he said.

The interview:
Your Excellency, do you think the VP has been allowed to do the major work?
What is the major job? Vice President is the vice president. He can do the major job and he has been doing so. Are you telling me that if there is crisis in the country or in any of our neighbouring countries tomorrow, do you want to tell me that Jonathan will not deploy soldiers to such areas?

But do you think he has the power?
(voice rose very high) He has the power, he is the vice president, you people (journalists) should stop saying that.
Are you now saying he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces?

(Cuts in sharply) He is the vice president.

If he was actually in charge, why didn’t he swear in the new Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Katsina Alu?
No. The Chief Justice i.e. Chief Justice of the Federation has the power to swear in the new CJ after all. For example, when I was a governor, I was not in charge of administering oath but I can be there when they were swearing in the chief judge of my state but it does not mean am the one giving him oath of office.

But he could not sign the supplementary bill as it had to be taken to Yar’Adua to sign?
Well, these are issues that collectively the Senate and members of the House of Representatives will sit down and resolve.
Sir, what of PPA?
PPA is the best party in Nigeria.

But there is faction?
(Cuts in) There is no faction. INEC has given us letter and that is to show you that there is no faction.

Earlier, he described the late Maryam Babangida as a mother “because we have been relating as members of the same family. I see her demise as losing my own mother.”

He also spoke of his political ambition which he said was still intact, adding: “I am still nursing the ambition to become the president of this country. In fact, I am going to seek an opportunity again from my party to nominate me to run for president.

Dr. Kalu debunked the rumour that he is working hand in hand with Gen. Babangida  to be his (Babangida) running mate in future, saying: “I am on my own, Babangida has not discussed such issue with me.”